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Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Corporal Dipprasad Pun receives bravery medal from the Queen

A Gurkha soldier single-handed defeated over thirty Taleban fighters has been awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross by the Queen.Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31, delineate however he was spurred on by the idea that he was aiming to die and then had nothing to lose in usurping the attackers overran his stop in Afghanistan.His gallantry award is second solely to the decoration - the very best honour for bravery within the face of the enemy.

Cpl Pun, from the first Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, was bestowed with the CGC throughout an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, , throughout that variety of alternative troopers were recognised for his or her bravery.

Speaking once receiving the honour from the Queen, the Gurkha said: 'I'm terribly excited and happy to here within the Palace to receive the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross this can be an excellent memory for the future.'

The soldier fired over four hundred rounds, launched seventeen grenades and detonated a mine to thwart the Taleban assault on his stop close to Babaji in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, last September.

At one purpose, once exhausting all his ammunition, he had to use the rack of his machine gun to beat away a militant was mounting the walls of the compound.

After the ceremony, Cpl Pun was congratulated by investiture guests queued up to shake his hand.Speaking regarding the actions that attained him the CGC, he said: 'At that point I wasn't distressed, there wasn't any alternative however to fight. The Taleban were all round the stop, i used to be alone.That incident happened within the middle of my tour and at that time i assumed no one will kill us currently - after we met the enemy I wasn't afraid.

'I thought the Taleban failed to have the capability to fight with us.

Cpl Pun, an acting sergeant throughout his Afghan preparation, was on sentry go at the time of the attack once he detected a ringing noise outside the tiny base.

At first he thought it'd be a donkey or a cow, however once he visited investigate he found 2 insurgents excavation a trench to get an temporary device (IED) at the checkpoint's front gate.

He completed that he was utterly encircled which the Taleban were getting ready to launch a well-planned arrange to overrun the compound.The enemy opened hearth from all sides, destroying the watcher position wherever the soldier had been on duty minutes before.

Defending the bottom from the roof, the Gurkha remained underneath continuous attack from reaction propulsion grenades ANd AK47s for over 1 / 4 of an hour.Most of the militants were regarding 50ft off from him, however at one purpose he rotated to check a 'huge' Taleban fighter looming over him.The soldier picked up his machine gun and discharged an extended burst at the person till he fell off the roof.

When another insurgent tried to climb up to his position, the Gurkha tried to shoot him together with his SA80 rifle. however it failed to work, either as a result of it had crowded or as a result of the magazine was empty.

He initial grabbed a sandbag however it had not been busy and therefore the contents fell to the ground.

Then he confiscated the metal rack of his machine gun and threw it at the approaching Taleban militant, shouting in Nepali 'Marchu talai' ('I can kill you') and knock him down.

Two insurgents were still assaultive by the time the heroic Gurkha had worn-out all his ammunition, however he set out a land mine to repel them.

At this time his company commander, Major Shaun Chandler, found out the checkpoint, ill-treated him on the rear and asked if he was OK.

In total he fired off 250 general purpose machine gun rounds, a hundred and eighty SA80 rounds, six element grenades, six traditional grenades, 5 underslung bomb launcher rounds and one land mine.

The only weapon he failed to use was the standard Kukri knife carried by Gurkhas as a result of he failed to have his with him at the time.

The married soldier, whose father and granddad were conjointly Gurkhas, is originally from the village of Bima in western Nepal.however currently lives in Ashford, Kent.

His ribbon citation aforementioned he saved the lives of 3 comrades at the stop at that point and prevented the position being overrun.

It read: 'Pun might ne'er shrewdness several enemies were making an attempt to beat his position, however he sought-after them out from all angles despite the danger, systematically moving towards them to succeed in the most effective position of attack.'

Major General Saint Nicholas Carter, UN agency was commander of combined forces, as well as British troops, in southern Afghanistan throughout Cpl Pun's preparation, praised the soldier and people from the Mercian Regiment receiving gallantry awards these days.

The senior officer, who received the Distinguished Service Order from the Queen for his leadership within the Near East country, said: 'Their efforts are tremendous. it had been a privilege to own members of the first Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles and therefore the Mercian Regiment underneath my command.

'The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross doesn't get handed out gently, it had been a most exceptional accomplishment by that individual young Gurkha.'